McGair: That Molina is quite the catch!

October 29, 2010

Now that the San Francisco Giants are halfway home to winning their first World Series since moving to the West Coast in 1958, itâ€™s time to talk MVP.
Regardless how the rest of the series turns out, itâ€™s hands-down Bengie Molina.
Neither the Rangers nor the Giants would be playing at this late juncture without Molinaâ€™s touch. So how can one catcher (built like a tank, mind you) impact both squads? By moving Molina to Texas in late June â€“ the trade occurred right around the time the Red Sox saw Victor Martinez and Jason Varitek go down with injuries â€“ San Fran was able to free up all sorts of playing time for phenom Buster Posey.
Of course Molina was a huge pickup for the Rangers. He delivered a pivotal three-run home run in the â€śnewâ€ť Yankee Stadium during Game 4 of the ALCS with the Yankees, a shot that all but snuffed out any hope the Bronx Bombers had of repeating as champs.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, no catcher has ever played in the World Series against a team he played for that same season. Are we on the threshold of seeing a player receive a winners and losers share?